


this is who i’m meant to be, this is me

by xTarmanderx



Series: our skin is just a dwelling place, your heart is my home [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Bisexual Brett, Fluff, M/M, Model Brett, They are so in love, body painting, photographer josh, trans josh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:27:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25007680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xTarmanderx/pseuds/xTarmanderx
Summary: At 24 years old, Brett ends his modeling career. But when Josh Diaz comes to him with a request for one last shoot, Brett finds himself agreeing to it. In between the flashes of the camera, he finds his future.
Relationships: Josh Diaz/Brett Talbot
Series: our skin is just a dwelling place, your heart is my home [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1917376
Comments: 13
Kudos: 11





	this is who i’m meant to be, this is me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [parttimehuman](https://archiveofourown.org/users/parttimehuman/gifts).



> For Mercy, who prompted this and supported me. I love you. 
> 
> Song title comes from ‘This is Me’ from The Greatest Showman.

“Marta, for the last time, what part of ‘you’re fired’ did you not understand?” Brett’s voice is muffled by the pillow he’s currently trying to smother himself with, but the indignant huff on the other end of the line lets him know that he made his point.

“This time will be different, Brett! The magazine promised you could keep long sleeves to hide your tattoos-“

“I’m not hiding them anymore. I’m fucking proud of them. I’m hanging up now,” he warns before he hits the button. His phone immediately lights up with a new call, but he ignores it. He rolls out of bed with a heavy sigh, dragging his hands over his face. His phone continues to buzz on his pillow, but he knows that she’ll eventually give up. Honestly, she’s probably picking up coffee and on her way to try and bribe him with treats. He’s maybe got time for a quick shower and a granola bar before he needs to make a run for it. There are plenty of places he can hide downtown where she won’t find him.

Half an hour later, Brett is getting an iced latte from his favorite coffee cart on the corner of 5th and Main. He snags a blueberry muffin and offers a nice tip to the pretty blonde man that serves him, tipping his sunglasses back over his eyes. He adjusts the brim of his baseball cap and ducks down an alley, walking around the back of a building to sit at a secluded bench that’s tucked away in a small garden. Only the locals know about this treasure and Brett takes full advantage of that. He sets down his breakfast and pulls out his phone, not surprised to see the dozens of missed calls and texts. She’s persistent, he’ll give her that much.

Unlocking his phone, he opens Instagram up and is immediately overwhelmed by the number of likes on his photos and the messages he’s received from fans. It’s almost enough to make him shut it down again, but something draws him to opening up his messages. The majority are from fans, showering him with love and praise. There’s a particularly vicious one that starts with bashing the girl he’d done his last photo shoot with and he opens it, blocking the person without a second thought. As he continues to scroll down, a familiar name catches his attention.  _ Josh Diaz. _

He can’t stop the smile that overtakes him. Rather than opening the message, he swipes out of them and goes to search up Josh’s personal page. He’s immediately assaulted by pictures of the most beautiful man he’s ever seen, grinning as he takes selfie after selfie. There are dozens of pictures of him wearing varying amounts of Pride pins, each caption discussing how important it is to acknowledge the community and fight for their rights. There are also hotlines to call, but Brett stops scrolling as he sees two pictures side by side. It’s Josh’s before and after post where he talks about his transition. On the left side is a young woman with long black hair, a shy smile, and holding up a peace sign. On the right is a man with hair cut in a pixie style, flashing a confident smile to the camera with a thumbs up. He’d had facial hair then, a godawful mustache that Brett knows he’s shaved off in the last few weeks. He’s quite fond of the current scruff that Josh has been rocking in his last few selfies.

Brett knows that he’s head over heels for the man. He’s been in love since high school. But Josh had been completely focused on coming out as trans and building up his new life around that. He knows from Theo, Josh’s best friend, that dating had been the last thing on Josh’s mind. It didn’t upset Brett in the slightest. He’d been there in the wings supporting Josh as he’d navigated high school, shutting down anyone who had an unkind word to say. And Josh had blossomed. He’d grown out of being the shy, insecure boy and had become a confident man, fighting for justice and making a name for himself. Brett’s definitely gone on him.

He finally returns to the messages and scrolls down to Josh’s name, biting down on his lip as he opens it up. They haven’t talked regularly in almost two years. Brett had been caught up in his modeling career and hadn’t had the time for his friends. The last message he has is support from Josh when he’d publicly announced that his modeling career was over. But this new message is short and to the point.  _ Hey!! I’ve got a HUGE GINORMOUS WONDERFUL favor to ask of you, if you aren’t too busy for me? ;) _

It’s a trap. Brett chuckles under his breath and tears off a piece of muffin, popping it in his mouth.  _ What’s up? _ He sends back. Three dots appear just a few seconds later and he takes a sip of his drink. Whatever the favor is, he knows that he’ll say yes. He’s always been powerless when it comes to the other man.

_ I’d like to talk in person about it. Are you still getting coffee down the street?? _ Brett flushes at that and bites down on his lip. Okay, it probably wasn’t the smartest thing to find a coffee stand that was down the street from Josh’s studio. In his defense, Garrett and Sean serve the best damn coffee and baked goods on this side of town.

_ I just got coffee and a muffin, but I’m still in the area. Hiding out behind Marko’s Pizza. _ He says. Josh sends a thumbs up in response and immediately goes offline.

Brett tries not to freak out. He hasn’t seen Josh in three years, not since he’d had a party after getting top surgery, and his heart still beats too fast when it comes to the other man. He shoves another bite of muffin in his mouth and tries not to panic. He feels like the definition of a bisexual disaster in this moment. His phone goes off again and he groans, seeing Marta’s name on screen. “No. Absolutely not.” He mutters to himself. He sends the call to voicemail and then turns it off, sliding it into his pocket. He’s not going to let her antics ruin his meeting with Josh.

Five minutes later, Brett hears footsteps down the alley. He quickly takes off his hat and sunglasses, combing his fingers through his hair. Josh steps around a bush and beams at him, channeling the sun itself. “Brett! Man, it’s been way too long.” Brett gets to his feet and starts to offer his hand, but Josh pulls him into a tight hug. He returns it just as fiercely, pressing his face against the other man’s neck. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were avoiding me all this time.”

“Never.” Brett says firmly, pulling back so he can hold Josh’s gaze. “Work was fucking insane and I never had time for myself anymore. I was either in the gym or in the studio, getting airbrushed and painted beyond recognition.” It’s the whole reason he quit modeling. He had worked himself into a rut trying to maintain the perfect abs and taking every modeling gig thrown his way. He was 24, he still had his entire life to live ahead of him. He didn’t deserve to be miserable any more.

“Hey, I’m just teasing. I know you went through a lot of shit these past few years.” Josh says, grinning at him. “I see you are still in love with blueberry muffins,” he says as he takes a seat at the table and pokes at what’s left of Brett’s breakfast.

“You want some? Garrett made them fresh this morning, so they’re even better than usual.” Brett sits down across from him, picking up his latte to take a sip. Josh grins and snags a piece of muffin, tossing it into his mouth.

“Thanks! The line out there was kind of crazy, but Garrett saw me. I’m hoping he saves a chocolate croissant or two that I can snag on my way out of here.” Josh leans back, stretching his long legs in front of him and crossing them at the ankles. Brett’s gaze is immediately drawn to the sliver of skin that’s exposed at his hip where his black shirt has ridden up from his jeans. “How have you been, man? It’s been...shit, it’s been a long time.” He snaps his gaze back to Josh’s face, blushing as the other man smirks at him.

“I...” Brett pauses, frowning as he considers his answer. No one’s asked him that in a long time. “I don’t really know.” He confesses. “Is that weird?”

“Not at all. You’ve been through a lot this past month.” Josh says, soft brown eyes studying Brett. “It took a lot of guts to stand up for yourself and say you were done with your career. You’ve been doing it for a decade, haven’t you?” Brett’s surprised that Josh remembers that. He’d done modeling for clothes companies until he’d turned 18 and then his body had become the major selling point.

“Yeah. It just got to be too much, you know? They wanted me to be someone I’m not.” He remembers the countless hours sitting in makeup while they’d covered his tattoos, painting him up like a doll. The endless amount of hands touching his abs, men and women whispering about his muscles as they got him ready for the next shoot. A shudder passes through him and Josh settles a hand on his knee, drawing him back to reality.

“Hey. Whatever it is, you’re okay.” He says softly. Brett drops his hand over Josh’s and squeezes, a half-smile forming.

“Just remembering what I left.” He sighs. “I was their pet that they groomed and not a fucking person. And they’re still trying to get me back.” He laughs bitterly. “My booking agent won’t leave me the fuck alone even though I fired her.”

“Tell her you’re busy with a new gig.” Josh takes another piece of muffin and grins at Brett.

“Yeah, because another gig is  _ exactly _ what I want to be doing right now.”

“I don’t blame you.” Josh withdraws his hand to rub the back of his neck. “But, uh, I’m hoping I can change your mind? One last gig. It’s for pride and the proceeds are going to charity. And since you’re a bisexual model...” Brett lets out a quiet laugh, shaking his head.

“Yeah?” Brett raises a brow. “Be honest with me. Am I going to be stuck in a chair for hours on end getting covered from head to toe? Is the photographer going to gush over me? Manhandle me and make snide remarks under their breath that they think I can’t hear?”

“I’m pretty sure that can be arranged.” Josh grins. “You’ll do it? Really? I know you don’t want to model anymore, but-“

“Josh? I trust you. And if you trust your friends doing this, then I’ll do it.” It’s that simple. Josh doesn’t need to know that Brett would do it no matter what. He’s always given in to Josh’s demands without a fight and this time is no different. He’ll do anything that’s asked. Even before Josh’s transition, Brett was putty in his hands.

“You won’t regret this, I promise. You know where my studio is, right?” Josh asks. Brett nods, feeling the flush rising to his cheeks. “Great! Can you do tomorrow morning?”

“Gladly. What should I bring? Or will there be clothes for me?”

“Bring whatever pride clothes you have and wear comfortable jeans. But if you want a shot in pride boxers, I can definitely hook you up.” Josh’s own cheeks heat up and Brett raises a brow. Is Josh...flustered?

“I’ll be there.” Brett says. “What kind of charity are the proceeds going toward?”

“They provide for the trans community and help people get access to resources they need. Hormone therapy, counselling, top surgery, and things like that.” Josh beams with pride and Brett falls a little more in love.

“A great cause. Consider me completely invested.” Grinning, Brett picks up his latte and drains the last of it. “Will any of the charity members be at the shoot?”

“Yeah. The head guy in charge. I have it on good authority that he’s thrilled to have someone like you agreeing to do this. He’s followed your career for a long time.” Josh explains, a smile playing at the corner of his lips. “I’ve gotta get back to the studio. But I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“I’m looking forward to it.” Brett says sincerely. He can’t remember the last time he’s been excited about a job. It has everything to do with Josh and his involvement, but he’s also glad that these prints will be used for something good. It’s about damn time that he gives back to the community.

Josh gives Brett his new number and texts him to be there at 9 in the morning before he’s off, heading back to his studio. Brett’s sure he has some tidying up to do before others come in to use his studio. Josh has been a photographer since they left high school and has worked for some pretty amazing LGBTQIA+ celebs in the past few years. Brett definitely does not have any of the magazine covers saved in a shoebox that’s dedicated to Josh’s work. It’s a fucking scrapbook that’s hidden under his mattress, thank you very much.

He arrives ten minutes early the next morning, a collection of shirts draped across his arm. He forgoes coffee in favour of getting to Josh’s studio and finds himself walking into a nearly empty space. Josh has lights and screens set up, but there’s no one else there. The man in question is spreading a pride flag across the floor, but he stands up and turns with a grin as Brett approaches. “Hey! You’re early.” He greets, grinning as he walks over to his front desk. Brett can’t focus on what he’s doing, he’s too distracted by what Josh is wearing.

His hair is pulled back in a messy bun and he’s trimmed up his scruff since Brett saw him the day before. He’s sporting a white crop top that looks like the softest thing in the world and a floor length floral skirt that’s coloured in pale green, vibrant purple flowers and blue splotches of color placed here and there. Josh lifts himself up effortlessly onto the counter and Brett’s drawn to the soft outline of abs that he can see. From here, he can also see the light pink scars that Josh carries from his surgery. He tears his gaze away with a flush and Josh laughs, kicking his bare feet in front of him. Anklets jingle together and Brett is pretty sure that Josh is going to be the death of him.

“If you’re done staring at me, I have coffee. Iced latte with light ice and a blueberry muffin crusted with sugar crystals.” Josh sweeps his arm to the tray of food next to him and Brett flushes.

“I was going to offer to buy you coffee. Just wanted to drop these off first.” He lifts the array of shirts still draped over his arm and Josh grins.

“Go set them on the desk over there. And then you and I are going to enjoy breakfast.” He declares with a smirk. Brett does as told, his heart kicking up as he joins Josh on the reception desk. “You look completely shocked right now.”

“I kind of am? I thought that your friends would be here by now setting up. Where is everybody?” Brett picks up the muffin and takes a bite. It’s still warm and tastes like heaven.

“It’s just the two of us.” Josh’s cheeks turn pink and he scratches the back of his neck. “Is that okay?”

“I thought you said...” Brett trails off, replaying the conversation in his head. “This is for your charity? Wait, when did you start your own charity?”

“Right after I got my top surgery.” Josh lifts Brett’s latte and takes a sip, grinning. “I can see why you’re so fond of these.” He licks his lips and Brett is dead. He has to be, right? “You were doing a shoot in Berlin when I made the announcement, so I’m not surprised that you missed it.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Josh dismisses it with a wave and his smile softens. “I know how busy you’ve been.”

“That’s no excuse.” He says firmly. “Tell me about it?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” Josh beams at him and sips at his latte again before handing it over. “So, you know I got top surgery. Did I ever tell you how I paid for it all?” Brett shakes his head. He remembers fundraisers for it and making donations of his own, but he doesn’t know the full story. “I wasn’t close enough to my goal with the donations I got. So I started selling my work. And some people took interest. Next thing I knew, I had more than enough money and some contract offers with local magazines and a couple from out of state. It really kickstarted my career, you know?” Josh chuckles a little and scratches the back of his neck. “It’s called The Chimera Project. Theo helped me name it. It’s kind of about the unity of two halves. It’s a charity focused on helping transgender youth get the resources that they need. Counselling, a crisis hotline, money for surgery or hormones, whatever they need. We’re currently working with the city to get a shelter built to protect these individuals.”

“You’re absolutely amazing. You did all of that on top of your career? I could barely keep my head above water with mine.” Brett says. He kind of wants to ask Josh to marry him on the spot. He’s been an activist in the LGBTQIA+ community since before high school, but this is next level. Josh is doing something good with his life. “Seriously, that’s incredible. Tell me more. How does today fit into the grand scheme of things?”

“I want to auction these photos and have all proceeds go to my charity. Help some more of these kids get the help that they need.” Josh explains. “And I wanted to use photos from models of varying sexual orientations. Theo, Liam, Garrett, Sean, Corey, and Mason all did shoots with me last week.”

“Garrett and Sean as in the coffee guys?”

“Right, I forget that you were so busy. Garrett and Sean graduated with Liam and Theo, they were all a couple of years under us. Sean was a cheerleader and Garrett played lacrosse.” Brett’s chest tightens at that. He would give anything to go back and do high school over again. He’d had to give up lacrosse after his freshman year to focus on his model career. “We’ve all stayed kind of local. Working together to make this dream a reality.”

“Why wasn’t I the first person that you called?” Brett asks. Josh laughs at that, reaching over and snagging a piece off the side of his muffin.

“You were literally the first person I contacted. When you didn’t answer, I thought maybe you were just avoiding me. So I sent you another message.” He says, grinning from ear to ear.

“Oh.” Flushing, Brett nibbles on his lower lip. “I didn’t mean to ignore you,” he says. He’d just stopped checking notifications as often after he’d first announced he was finished with being a model. “Sorry?”

“I forgive you. I knew it wasn’t personal.” Josh shrugs one shoulder and hops down from the counter. “But that means you owe me for the day. You’re mine, Talbot.” He winks and spins on his heel, skirt twirling around his ankles. “I want teeth brushed and you ready in 10 minutes. Don’t keep me waiting.” He says over his shoulder. Brett nods, swallowing hard as he tracks the sway of Josh’s hips.

“Sir yes sir,” Brett murmurs. Josh laughs, letting him know that he’s heard him, and he hides his smile against his latte.

11 minutes later, Brett is standing on top of the pride flag with his hands in his pockets while Josh takes a few test shots. He’s wearing his favorite black tank top that says  _ I’m a mixtape  _ with a cassette in the middle of the shirt, colored in blue, purple, and pink with a light denim jacket thrown over top of it. The camera clicks again and Josh lets it hang around his neck, stretching up to adjust one of the lights. “I forgot how tall you are,” Josh says as he raises the light a few centimeters.

“You’re almost the same height as me,” Brett reminds with a low chuckle.

“Doesn’t change what I said.” Josh grins and snaps another picture of him. “All right, I think we’re set. I’d like to do some natural poses first. And then you’re going to lay down on the flag and I’ll do some shots from above.” He explains, stepping away from the lights and crouching down. “So, since this is going to be your last shoot, what’s next for you?”

“I don’t know. I’ve got enough money that I don’t really have to think about a next job for a while.” Brett laughs and rubs at the back of his neck. “I think I’d like to maybe go to college and get a degree. Maybe start my own business? I want to do something useful, you know? Give back to the community like you have.”

“Turn to your left just a bit. Perfect.” Josh nods and takes his next shot. “I think that’s an amazing idea. I got my business degree by doing online classes.”

“You have...why am I surprised, of course you do. Is there nothing you can’t do?” Brett grins and Josh shrugs one shoulder.

“Apparently I can’t date.” Josh says, shifting his weight and angling his camera up. “I went on a couple of blind dates. But no one really holds my interest. No one will ever compare to the one that got away. Know what I mean?”

“I...yeah, I get it.” Brett murmurs, expression falling. Josh gets to his feet and steps forward, hooking a finger under Brett’s chin.

“None of that. Those pouting lips are begging to be kissed and I’m a weak man, Brett.” Josh smirks and steps back, letting his hand fall away.

“You-wait a second, I’m the one that got away?” He blurts out, flushing. Josh snaps another picture and gives him a coy smile, sucking his lower lip between his teeth and batting his lashes.

“Maybe. I’ll make you a deal, Brett.” Josh lowers his camera and tilts his head to the side. “If you let me paint you, I’ll tell you all about it.”

“How do you always manage to throw me off-guard?” Brett asks, eyes wide as he looks at the other man. There are no words for how he feels. It’s hard to believe that Josh has wanted him all this time, but Josh has never lied to him.

“It’s a gift of mine. Now, do we have a deal?” Josh grins and he nods quickly, blushing again. “Good. I want to do bi flags across your cheeks. And a piece across your chest later, if you’re willing. It’s kind of part of the series. Theo did an ace flag, Liam was pan, Corey was demi, Mason was gay, and you get the idea. These photos are going to be a celebration of what it means to be bi.”

“I like the sound of that.” Brett says softly. “Break out the paint.”

It takes a few minutes for Josh to get set up and finished painting his cheeks. Brett feels like the paint is going to flake off every time he smiles, but Josh promises to touch it up if it does. They do dozens of photos with him striking various poses, with and without his jacket, standing and crouching, and a final set in this particular outfit with him laying down on the pride flag. He’s got his arms crossed behind his head, eyes closed, and his smile feels like it’s going to break his face in two. Josh shoos him off to change into the next top and they do it all over again. Brett pulls on a white tank top that has two ghosts that are  _ boosexual _ and Josh can’t stop laughing as he takes pictures, shaking his head and grinning the entire time.

As the shoot goes on, Josh confides in him. He tells Brett that he’s pretty sure his crush started when Brett told someone off for using Josh’s dead name during freshman year. He admits that he’d noticed Brett plenty in middle school, but he’d been too shy to try and become friends with him. It wasn’t until he’d started hormones at the end of sophomore year when he’d turned sixteen that he’d felt confident enough to talk to Brett and befriend him. And he’d followed Brett’s career as a model, practicing his photography in hopes of one day working with Brett in the future.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Brett asks as Josh makes him strip his shirt. “I would have made it happen!”

“Your booking agent told me that you were busy and I didn’t want to bother you with my request. It wasn’t a big deal. I had plenty of other gigs. I do wish that I’d been able to get in touch with you after my top surgery though. Before the party, I mean.” Josh admits, picking up a paintbrush. “It was the worst part of my transition. No one really tells you how bad the hormone crash is when you lose breasts. I felt so fucked up for the first few weeks. I didn’t regret what I did, at least not totally. But the emotional part of me was an absolute bitch to deal with. Lots of sobbing and ice cream and pity parties for myself.”

“Josh…”

“Don’t you dare apologize. I’m not upset for a second about what I did,” Josh says firmly. “But I do wish I’d been in touch with you then. You were always good at comforting me when I was having a hard day.”

“I would have dropped everything and come running if you’d asked.”

“I know. That’s exactly why I didn’t ask. You had your career and I just wanted to figure things out before I dragged you into it. Then I got the idea for The Chimera Project and grabbed onto that for dear life. Threw everything I had into it. That’s kind of when I realized that I didn’t just want to be a photographer for anyone that threw money at me. I wanted my art to matter, you know? I wanted to make a difference. So I stopped doing contracts. People started asking me to do photos at their coming out celebrations and I realized that I wanted to be part of that celebration. I wanted people to see that we matter, that we deserve to be seen and cherished and loved.” Josh pauses in painting and grins up at him. “Know what I mean?”

“I think if you don’t stop talking, I’m going to kiss you senseless. I’m so fucking in love with you.” And okay, that’s not at all how Brett wanted to confess his feelings. But the way that Josh flushes and his eyes light up? It’s worth it.

“Good to know. Keep that in mind for when we’re done with this.” Josh grins up at him. “Hey, do you want to grab a pizza for lunch? That’ll be plenty of time for the paint to dry.”

“You’re not worried about me losing my perfect abs for this shoot?” Brett teases.

“Nah. I think you look perfect.” Josh says softly. Brett’s heart does a little flip and he knows that he’s found his person.

In the half hour that it takes for the pizza to arrive, Brett manages to convince a Josh to let him paint the transgender flag across his cheeks and steals the camera away, snapping pictures as Josh chases him around the studio. He’s pretty sure most of them are blurry, but there’s something otherworldly about the way Josh looks in them. He finally lets the photographer have his camera back when it warns him that the batteries are low and he hands it over for them to be replaced.

The  _ HUMAN _ painted across Brett’s chest is beautiful. He’s amazed at the steady hand that Josh has and how each letter is a different pride flag. He does several poses on top of the pride flag and then Josh moves it, a playful smirk on his lips as he steps forward and loosens Brett’s belt and undoes the top of it. “Just a few of these,” he steps back and snaps a shot with a wicked grin. “I do have one that I want of you in boxers, but you’ll have a bisexual flag wrapped around you. Is that okay?”

“You’re going to be the death of me,” Brett croaks weakly. Laughing, Josh crooks his finger and has Brett take a few steps toward him. He leaves him for a moment and collects the flag, wrapping it around Brett’s shoulders and playing with it until it’s coming down the sides of Brett’s body and leaving his torso on display.

“If it makes you feel any better, Corey was red all over when I had him do shirtless photos. Then again, I wasn’t hitting on him and let him do his own zipper. But I am having a really hard time keeping my hands off of you.”

“You can’t just say things like that,” Brett groans.

“What if I promise you can come back to my place tonight and we can see where the night takes us?” Josh aims a flirty smile and Brett is pretty sure he’s dead once again.

“Death. Of. Me.” He declares. Josh laughs and has him strip down into his boxers, keeping his hands to himself. He wraps the flag around Brett’s waist and takes a few more photos, adjusting the flag several times and doing a few more where it looks like Brett is wearing the flag as a dress.

“Okay,” he declares half an hour later. “I have one final request and then we are done. I need to paint your back. Is that okay?”

“Am I wearing pants or not?”

“You’ll be wearing pants.” Josh laughs. “Come on,” he says as he sets his camera on the floor and heads back to the reception desk. “For this, I’m going to start on your spine and branch out. I’ll need you to hold out your arms at one point, but I’ll tell you when. Okay?”

“Sure.” Brett braces his elbows against the desk and leans down against his upper arms, smirking back at Josh. “Is this what you want?”

“You’ll look even better when you’re spread against my wall like that.” Josh flashes an innocent smile and collects his paint brush. At the first touch of cool paint against his spine, Josh’s lips brush against the back of his ear. “I can’t wait to be done with this. I’ve been restraining myself like a good boy.”

“This is not restraint. This is harassment,” Brett chuckles, a shiver crawling down his spine as the paint touches his skin again.

“Sorry, I know it’s cold.” Josh kisses the back of his neck in apology. “I was serious about tonight though. Dinner at my place? I’ve got a new bottle of wine that needs to be opened and a fettuccine recipe that I’m dying to test out.”

“I love the sound of that.” Brett answers softly.

“I hoped you would.”

It takes another half hour before the painting is finished. Josh refuses to tell him what it is, he just beckons Brett back to his place and has him turn with his back to Josh. “I want you to look over your shoulder at me a few times. Arms done and then raised up again.” He says, adjusting the setting of his camera as he crouches down. “Okay?”

“Can do.” Brett says. He beams back at the camera, slowly raising his arms up as Josh directed. The camera clicks.

-

“I think that’s everything I wanted.” Josh says, holding up the camera for Brett to look at some of the photos. He carefully takes it, beginning to scroll through. He’s always known Josh was talented, but this...these photos are on another level completely. It’s like he can hardly recognize himself. He looks like someone who’s filled with joy and knows exactly what they want out of life. His tattoos are on full display and he can see every little imperfection he has. It’s perfect.

He scrolls to the last few photos, breath catching. Across his back, Josh has created wings. They’re cast in darker tones of purple, blue, and pink, getting lighter as they spread further out along his back and then down his arms. “Do you like it?” Josh asks, rubbing the back of his neck. Brett doesn’t answer. He sets the camera down on Josh’s table with care and turns, cupping the other man’s face between his hands. He closes the distance until there’s barely a breath between them, sky blue eyes searching dark brown. Josh seals the gap, soft lips pressing eagerly against Brett’s own. And this? This is heaven.

Josh kisses him until they’re both breathless and he’s flush against Brett, fingers gripping at his hips. He rests their foreheads together and licks his lips, a nervous laugh escaping him as he meets Brett’s gaze. “Damn. I’ve been dreaming of that kiss for a long fucking time,” he says. Brett rubs their noses together and murmurs in agreement, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth.

“I feel the same way.” Brett tells him, reaching up to run his fingers back through Josh’s hair. He frees it from his messy bun and presses a kiss to his mouth again. “Did I mention that I love this project? And you?”

“I think so. In case you haven’t realized it, I’m kind of completely in love with you. It’s about damn time you returned my feelings.” Josh teases. Letting out a soft snort, Brett kisses him again.

“I’m serious. You did an incredible job with all of this. Your entire life.” He says sincerely. “But why photography? What got you started on that?”

“I’ve always seen beauty in things. From people to plants to animals...everything has a quality that’s breathtaking. It’s all so unique, you know? And everyone and everything deserves to be appreciated for their beauty. They deserve to be seen. I wanted to make sure the entire world could see what I do. That there’s beauty in everything and it can be overwhelming and powerful and raw and make you  _ feel _ in ways that you can’t imagine.” Josh’s cheeks turn pink and he reaches up, toying with the hair at the nape of Brett’s neck. “I’m rambling, aren’t I? That probably didn’t make any sense.”

“It makes perfect sense,” Brett says, pulling back a little so he can look Josh properly in the eye. The thing is, he gets it. Because looking at Josh is like looking at the most perfect masterpiece in the entire universe.

“Really?” Josh bites down on his lip and Brett tugs it free with his own teeth.

“Really, Josh. You’re a work of art. And what you create, what you see in the world? That’s a goddamn gift.” He whispers against his lips.

“If you fucking make me cry...” Josh swears, his eyes starting to water.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, pretty boy.” Brett chuckles and kisses him again. Today has given him everything he could have ever asked for. And maybe, just maybe, he’s found out what his future holds. With Josh at his side, Brett knows they’re going to do incredible things. They’ll have all the time in the world to talk later about Brett wanting to be involved with The Chimera Project and working with Josh to make a positive difference. But for now, as they draw each other close, all Brett wants is another kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> The Chimera Project is based off of The Trevor Project. Please consider researching and donating to supporting LGBTQIA+ youth. Their lives matter. We are all human.


End file.
